Senate Oks School Aid Bill

Du Page Slated For Funding Boost

May 19, 1993|By Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune.

SPRINGFIELD — Suburban Republicans fired a warning shot Tuesday in their battle with city Democrats over school reforms, approving a bill that would take $37 million a year from Chicago schools while helping other districts around the state.

The bill would require the use of 1990 census figures in determining the amount of state aid sent to school districts. Chicago would lose money because the number of poor students in its schools has declined since the 1980 census.

The House, which is controlled by Democrats, already had approved the bill and sent it to the Senate, which approved the legislation Tuesday and sent it on to Gov. Jim Edgar.

It is expected to become part of end-of-session negotiations involving Edgar and the four legislative leaders.

Senate President James "Pate" Philip (R-Wood Dale) called the bill's passage "a little missile we're sending" to Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, who has bottled up work-rule changes opposed by the Chicago Teachers Union.

"Mayor (Richard) Daley asked for reforms. We sent them over (to the House) and they killed them over there," Philip said. "It'll all be negotiated out."

In Philip's home county of Du Page, the legislation would translate into a $500,000 increase in funding for some of the schools in the county's 43 districts serving almost 130,000 students.

While fast-growing Lake County would stand to gain at least $3.5 million, McHenry County schools could lose $750,000, Kane County schools, $1.1 million, and Will County schools, up to $3 million.

The biggest losers by far, though, would be schools in Chicago and Cook County, which could forfeit up to $85 million.

The 36-16 Senate vote came amid concerns from senators who would see some schools in their legislative districts lose money and others gain as a result of the new census figures.

Chicago Democrats were more worried about the legislation's effect on the Chicago Public Schools, which have forecast a $415 million budget gap for the next school year. School officials included the $37 million loss in calculating that gap.

The Democrats argued that there were alternatives to imposing the new census count, and contended the census severely undercounted the number of city poor.

"These are poor children that you're talking about who are going to suffer from this," said Sen. Rickey Hendon (D-Chicago).

"We're not talking about the City of Chicago, the mayor of Chicago or any other bureaucrats from Chicago. We're talking about the poor children who cannot talk for themselves and who were not counted," he said.

City Democrats had wanted to phase in the new census figures for the roughly half of the state's nearly 1,000 school districts that would lose money, while giving the other half their increased share of dollars.

House lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the legislation last month with the expectation that the Senate would add the phase-in provisions. But the Senate's GOP majority moved the bill as is, in a direct shot at Madigan and the lack of progress in efforts to reduce the city schools' budget gap.

State Board of Education officials had planned to use the new census figures in computing state aid to local school districts next school year. But State Schools Supt. Robert Leininger had been supportive of a phase-in.

Senators were torn on the issue, recognizing that without an end-of-session agreement, the legislation could become law.

"We've all heard from our schools. We all have winners and losers," said Sen. Frank Watson (R-Greenville), chairman of the chamber's education panel.

Sen. Arthur Berman (D-Chicago), who lobbied for a phase-in, said the state should use other methods of counting low-income students, including the use of those eligible for subsidized school lunches, to make up for what city Democrats argued was an undercount.

"If nothing else reaches the governor's desk besides this bill, every loser loses big, every winner will win. But you're going to be using very questionable numbers that the federal government has to use but we as a state legislature don't have to use," Berman said.

Not every school district would come out a loser. In North Chicago, where school officials have voted to dissolve the district, the changes in state aid caused by the census would mean an increase of nearly $1 million in funding.

Du Page Regional School Supt. Berardo J. DeSimone said that while there has been an enrollment boom in some of the affluent county's schools since 1990, they still receive only 8 percent of their funding from state coffers.

"Any increase that we receive is acceptable," DeSimone said. "It may not be a lot, but it's still welcome. It's better than a cut."

The news was not good for neighboring Kane County, though, where schools in 15 districts plus the Illinois Math and Science Academy that serve a total of 78,000 students could give up $1.1 million.

Clem Mejia, regional superintendent of the Kane County Regional School Board, called it the second part of a double whammy.

"Obviously, we have seen the effects of the tax cap in the collar counties, and with our increasing enrollments it has limited our ability to get the funds we need," Mejia said. "With another $1.1 million reduction in state aid, I question where we're supposed to get relief.

"First it was the tax cap, and I guess we've all tried to live within that. But any other reduction on top of that will probably be devastating to the districts in our area."

"The hardest hit district in Kane County will be Aurora East District 131, which is heavily reliant on state aid," Mejia said.

Least affected would be the more affluent areas such as St. Charles District 303 and Geneva District 404.

The changes in the numbers of low-income students, combined with increased property tax assessments, which reduces state aid, affect each school district individually. But on a county basis, the two factors overall would mean that schools in Cook County would lose up to $85 million.